Apparatus for freezing plate-ice.



No. 805,590. PATBNTED NOV. 28, 1905.

H. STOUT.

APPARATUS FOR FREEZING PLATE ICE.

APPLICATION FILED r123. 20. 1905.

Witnesses UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

APPARATUS FOR FREEZING PLATE-ICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

Application filed February 20, 1905. Serial No. 246,554.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HIRAM STOUT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kingman, in

- the county of Kingman and State of Kansas,

have invented a new and useful Ice Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ice-making apparatus,more particularly to apparatus for freezing plate-ice, and has for its object to simplify and improve the construction of the plate portion of the apparatus of this character and produce a device wherein the ice is frozen into blocks of convenient size, requiring no cutting or trimming after the freezing process is completed.

With these and other objects in View, which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating characters, is illustrated the preferred form of the embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it being understood that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto, as various changes in the shape, proportions, and general assemblage of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

In the drawings thus employed, Figure 1 is a plan'view, and Fig. 2 is a' longitudinal sectional elevation, of a freezing-tank with the improved device disposed therein. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

The improved device comprises an inclosing tank or casing 10 of any required material and of any suitable size, but preferably of a certain predetermined Width and extended longitudinally to correspond to the number of ice cakes it is desired to produce at the same time. The tanks will thus be uniform in width and will vary in length as required to increase or decrease the capacity of the apparatus, as hereinafter described.

The improved attachment comprises a central chamber 11, extended from end to end within the tank and resting upon a laterallyextending relatively flat chamber 12, which rests in turn upon the bottom of the tank. The central chamber 11 is also provided with a transverse partition 13 near its upper part, whereby an air-chamber 14 is formed therein to form a non-conducting element to prevent the rise of the temperature of the freezing mixture. Branching from the central chamber 11 at suitable intervals are closed lateral chambers 15, having no communication with the central chamber, but each connected with the lower flat chamber 12 by an aperture 16, each chamber also preferably provided with an air-vent 17 in' the upper side.

The lower chamber 12 and the lateral chambers 15 extend toward the sides of the side walls of the tank, but do not reach the tank, leaving water-spaces between the chambers and the tank upon each side. The side walls of the central chamber 11 are parallel to each other and the upper face of the lower chamber 12 is inclined outwardly and downwardly, While the side walls of lateral chambers 15 converge toward their outer ends, so that the outer sides of the pockets or recesses formed by the several chambers are larger than their inner sides to provide for the ready discharge of the ice cakes after they are formed and loosened, as hereinafter explained.

The central chamber 11 is designed to receive the freezing mixture or compound, which is conducted thereto as by a feed-pipe 18 and discharged therefrom as by a pipe 19, and the lower chamber 12 and branch chambers 15 are designed to receive warm water or other liquid for loosening the ice cakes after the freezing process is completed, the warming liquid being fed in by pipe 20 and discharged by pipe 21. The feed-pipe 18 and discharge-pipe 19 are provided, respectively, with controlling-valves 22 23, while the feedpipe 20 and discharge-pipe 21 are likewise provided, respectively, with controlling-valves 24 25. A by-pass pipe 26 may be connected between the pipes 18 and 20 and provided with a controlling-valve 27, so that the heating liquid may be conducted through the central chamber 11 in addition to being carried through the lower chamber 12 and lateral chambers 15, if required, to more thoroughly release the ice cakes.

The operation of the improved device is as follows: The tank being filled with water, the valves 24, 27, and 25 are closedand the valves 22 23 opened to permit the freezing medium to pass through the chamber 11 and freezing the water from the walls of the chamber 11 to the outer lines of the chambers 12 and 15 and forming separate ice cakes in the form of the cavities embraced between them and of uniform size. The valve 22 is then closed and the freezing mixture permitted to discharge from the chamber 11. The valve 23 is then closed and the valves 24 and 27 opened to admit hot or warm water or other heating medium to the chambers 11, 12, and 15 to cause the release of the ice cakes from contact with the chambers and permit them to float out into the unfrozen water in the tank, from which they can be readily removed. The valves 2 L and 27 are then closed and the valves 23 and 25 opened to discharge the heating medium. The valve 22 is then opened again to admit the freezing mixture to again flow through the chamber 11 and freeze the water within the area comprised between the chambers 11, 12, and 15, and so on continuously, as will be obvious.

As before stated, the tanks may be of any required length to provide for using any required length of the central chamber and any required number of the lateral chambers, but the Width will be the same in all the tanks, as will be obvious. By this means blocks of ice of uniform size may be readily manufactured and quickly detached from the central plate and will not require cutting, sawing, or other reduction or Sl1d.])ll1g.

It is obvious that the device may be con-- structed to form blocks of any required size or shape.

The chambers will be formed of sheet metal, preferably galvanized steel, and can be manufactured at comparatively small expense.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In an artificial-ice apparatus, an inclosing tank, a chamber for the freezing mixture within said tank and provided with a transverse partition spaced from the upper end and separating the portion of the chamber above the partition from the portion below the partition, closed chambers extending laterally of said mixture-chamber and with no means of communication between them, means for introducing the freezing mixture into said mixturechamber, and means for introducing a heating medium into all of said chambers.

2. In an artificial-ice apparatus, an inclosing tank, a chamber for the freezing mixture within said tank, a chamber for a heating medium between the bottom of said tank and said freezing-mixture chamber and extending laterally of the same, closed chambers extending laterally of said freezing-mixture chamber and communicating with said heating-chamber, a feed-pipe leading into said freezing-mixture chamber at one point and a discharge-pipe leading therefrom at another point, a feedpipe leading into said heating-chamber at one point and a discharge-pipe leading therefrom at another point, a pipe connecting said feedpipes exteriorly of said tank, and a controllingvalve within said connecting-pipe, wherebya heating medium may be caused to pass through all of said chambers.

3. In an artificial-ice apparatus, an inclosing tank, a ch amber for the freezing mixture within said tank, closed chambers extending laterally of said mixture-chamber and having converging faces, a closed chamber disposed in horizontal position and communicating with said lateral chambers and with its upper walls diverging from the same, means for introducing the freezing mixture into said mixturechamber, and means for introducing a heating medium into all of said chambers.

a. In an artificial-ice apparatus, an inclosing tank, a chamber disposed in horizontal position within said tank and open at the lower side and ends and bearing by said open lower side and ends respectively upon the bottom and against the ends of said tank, a chamber disposed in vertical position upon said lower chamber and secured thereon and bearing against the ends of said tank, a plurality of chambers spaced apart upon said lower chamber and communicating therewith and extending laterally of said vertical chamber, the outermost of said lateral chambers open outwardly and bearing by the open sides against the ends of the tank, means for introducing freezing mixture into said vertical chamber, and means for introducing a heating medium into all of said chambers.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HIRAM STOUT.

Witnesses:

FRANK HARLOW, GHARLEY TOWNSEND. 

